Step 1 / 12
Crumble the yeast into 400 ml of warm milk. Add 10 tablespoons of sugar and stir. Leave to bloom in a warm place for 30 minutes. The starter should become bubbly and rise with a foamy top — this means the yeast is active and ready to use.
Step 2 / 12
Soak the raisins in water and let them sit for 30 minutes. Then drain, dry well, dust with flour, and set aside.
Step 3 / 12
While the starter is resting, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar and salt. Add the vanilla sugar, the rest of the milk (800 ml), zest of 2 lemons, cognac, and melted butter.
Step 4 / 12
Add the starter to this mixture and stir. Start gradually adding flour.
Step 5 / 12
Knead the dough well for at least 30 minutes. Don’t add too much extra flour — it’s better to oil your hands and the work surface to prevent sticking. The dough should come together and be thick enough to handle, but it will still be a bit sticky — that’s okay.
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Add the raisins and knead well.
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Leave the dough to rise for 2–3 hours.
Step 8 / 12
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Divide the dough into baking forms, filling each about 1/3 full, and let them rest for another 20 minutes. Tip: Traditionally, paska is baked in tall, cylindrical molds. I always use paper molds to bake them (like panettone baking molds). Clean, empty food cans (like large tomato cans) also work well, or you can make your own molds using parchment paper and foil.
Step 9 / 12
Bake for 25-50 minutes (depending on the size of the paska). Insert a wooden skewer into the center — if it comes out clean, the paska is ready.
Step 10 / 12
For the glaze, combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
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Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and beat until stiff peaks form.
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Decorate the paskas and enjoy :)